- 1st final (Commonwealth Bank Series at Sydney, 2008)
(Photo by David Hardenberg/Getty Images)
India’s tour of Australia in 2008 was full of drama; be it the Test series or the One Day Internationals.
India won a Test match in Perth after the controversial game in Sydney. In the One Day series which also included Sri Lanka as the third team, the Indian team emerged victorious over the two countries. The One Day series then included a best of the three final between the two teams which end up with more points.
The first final played in Sydney was a final which no one can ever forget, as this match also saw Sachin Tendulkar scoring his first One Day hundred in Australia.
The hosts could only manage 239/8 in the designated 50 overs, thanks to some disciplined bowling from the Indian bowlers. In reply, India lost Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh early in the run-chase.
This meant Sachin had to shoulder the responsibility to anchor the run-chase. The Master Blaster scored an incredible 117* to guide India to a famous win in the first final. India eventually went on to win the second match and clinch the Commonwealth Bank series for the first time.